“What are they trying to sell you?” my father said as he walked by me, on the phone. It was the mid-nineties, I was just a kid on the phone with a cold-caller. Every now and then I still hear his voice. “What are they trying to sell you?” It rang in my mind as I read an email. There it was, the promise: this product could save you hundreds, maybe even thousands, over the life of your motorcycle.

I get emails like this one all of the time. Some new crowdfunded product that will save the lives of countless motorcyclists, or a motorcycle app that will change the way we ride forever. This one was interesting though. An app that synchronizes with your motorcycle, to provide up-to-the-second data on your motorcycle’s performance, both at idle, and while riding, like a professional OBD2 reader for your bike. This might actually live up to the hype. “Please tell me more.” I replied.

A few days later it arrived in the mail. My brand new 4-pin Diagnostica Motoscan diagnostic tool arrived. The tiny tool costs $299 (or $199 using promo code 4JULY2017 until July 5th, 2017) and draws absolutely no power when the bike isn’t running.

The tool allows you to wireless connect to your Harley-Davidson motorcycle, in order to see what (if anything) is wrong with it. You can view and reset fault codes, see the vehicle diagnostics, run and view reports and more. The claim is that the device could potentially save you thousands in trips to your mechanic. Given that shop rates are now over $100/hour, and dealership rates even higher than that, the tool could potentially live up to the claim… but a few questions came to my mind:

How difficult will it be to install?

How well does it actually work?

How easy will it be to use?

How much money will the average Harley-Davidson motorcyclist actually save?

With these questions in mind, I stood up from my laptop, and went outside to start on the installation…

How easy is it to install?

In the time it’s taken you to read everything until now, I just finished installing it. It took about thirty seconds. I only needed a hex key to remove one bolt. Seriously. Ok, maybe a minute and thirty seconds, if you count the time I spent googling where my 4-pin connector was.

I installed Motorscan Smartphone Diagnostic Tool on my 2006 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Night Rod. On V-Rod models of this year, and many other years, the connector is under the left side cover, tucked in. See here:

The installation went so quickly, that I actually had to open it up again, uninstall it, and close it back up to take pictures. Removal was equally easy, but I still managed to drop the thing, twice. I guess it passes the toughness test…

With the cover off, you’ll find a cable to nowhere. That’s what you’re looking for.

To make it all fit back in the V-Rod, I first pushed in the rubber connector cover, than inserted the Motorscan tool on the connector. Make special note of the slot shown here:

Mine actually made an audible clicking sound when I got it fitted in just perfect, but as long as you’re able to put the cover back on your Harley it’s fine. In my opinion, you can’t mess up the installation, so you can close up the bike before even testing the product.

Check out the next page for how what it can do and how well it actually works!

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We motorcycle, do You?

About Us

YouMotorcycle is for those who embrace motorcycling as a lifestyle. The articles are written by international riders and motorcycle industry professionals.

The site remains fiercely independent, innovative, and unconventional. Our goal is to showcase the best of the online motorcycle community, help new riders get into the sport, and inspire the world to get out on two.